New Cigarette Law

A new federal law went into affect today that changes the way cigarettes are packaged.

“We can no longer use lights, ultra lights, or full flavored [on cigarette packages],” said Tina Polson, a Smokers Outlet employee.

Anti-smoking groups believe it's an important step in trying to help prevent teens from becoming smokers.

"We are confident that it will help with a bag of several different tools; it will help us prevent smoking and save lives in the long run,” said Cam Scott, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society’s Texas Division.

But longtime smoker Tammy Pittman doesn't think it's going to be affective.

"I don't think it will; because if you’re going to smoke you’re going to smoke whether it says light or not," she said.

Smokers Outlet in Odessa said they've been educating their customers about the new changes over the past few months.

"Our employees try to educate them on different names on them so in the future when they ask for them, it would be asked for by the proper names," explained Polson.

Some smokers believe the changes are more confusing, than helpful

“I probably think kids are going to smoke if they are going to smoke," said Robert Stone, another longtime smoker.